


Young lover, I'm begging you please to wake up

by felinedetached



Series: theioan stories (stories of the gods) [3]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: M/M, aphrodite is vicious and i love her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 04:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13732842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felinedetached/pseuds/felinedetached
Summary: He is the son of Clio and Pierus, the muse of history and a mortal man. He is also the most gorgeous man on earth – that is, he is in the eyes of Apollo and his rival, Zephyrus.





	Young lover, I'm begging you please to wake up

He is the son of Clio and Pierus, the muse of history and a mortal man. He is also the most gorgeous man on earth – that is, he is in the eyes of Apollo and his rival, Zephyrus.

 

(If asked, Zeus would claim Ganymede to be the most gorgeous man on earth. Poseidon would claim Caeneus, Hades would claim Icarus and Artemis would scoff, say that women are gorgeous and that men are pigs. She would exclude her brother from that statement – they are the best of friends, and she claims to have beaten the pig out of him.)

 

Apollo comes to him, the sun shining bright behind him because he is a god; in fact, he is the god of the sun, and whilst that is a chore (the sun burns, it is bright and warm but if you are too close, if you are _pulling it_ , it is far too hot) it is also a blessing in that when he wants to impress mere mortals he can do this.

 

Hyacinth gapes, stares at the god who has come to him, wordless. Apollo just laughs, quietly, almost like bells, and the sun rises higher so that it is no longer blinding. He places a hand, soft and warm – hotter than a typical humans (as expected, he is god of the _sun_ ) but not enough to burn – and he smiles and his teeth are as blinding as the sun he left behind.

 

Hyacinth falls, as women and men both have before him, because Apollo is a god and a charming one at that.

 

(It is Artemis’ influence, that makes him charm and seduce instead of just _taking_ , because she is the guardian of women – especially young girls – and she would never let her brother do _anything_ like that.)

 

“You’re Apollo,” Hyacinth says, voice quiet. Apollo laughs again, agrees readily, and offers Hyacinth his hand. The mortal takes it, of course; only the hunters or the Amazons would refuse it, and even then the hunters might solely based on his relationship to their patron. Apollo lifts him from the ground, up into the sky, and takes him along the path of the sun to explore the known world.

 

Hyacinth is not a hero, but he is favoured by a god.

 

~~º0º~~

 

During their travels, Hyacinth captures the attention of Zephyrus. The god of the west wind is not known for his anger, or his jealous rages – instead he is known for kindness, compassion, a less violent temper than those of his brothers.

 

They do not tell the stories of Zephyrus’ rages.

 

They should.

 

For as Zephyrus watches Apollo travel with his lover, watches Hyacinth laugh and dance and date (and kiss, he watches their kisses far closer than anything else – looking for a hint of dissatisfaction that would justify him taking Hyacinth from Apollo, but he never finds it) and travel, he finds himself growing angrier. Across the lands, the west wind blows more fiercely than it ever has before.

 

Mortals feel Zephyrus’ anger, and they pray to him in a desperate attempt to calm him, but he turns a blind eye and a deaf ear. Zephyrus, in his rage and envy, does not care for those he harms, or of his brother’s dissatisfaction with his actions. He only cares for Hyacinth, and Apollo’s careful hands as they grip Hyacinth’s shoulders, forearms, hands.

 

And his rage burns hot, because the west wind blows warm.

 

~~º0º~~

 

Apollo stares into Hyacinth’s eyes, and his eyes are full of love. It is almost sickening, watching their tenderness and love - or it would be, if it wasn’t so pure. Aphrodite has obviously blessed this union; it is obvious in their every interaction. Even the more violent things they do together (Apollo takes him hunting with Artemis sometimes, and it is a testament to the extent of his relationship with the huntress’s brother that she does not kill him for it) are sappy - Apollo catching the meats Hyacinth enjoys the taste of the most, and Hyacinth sacrificing all of his remains to both Apollo and Artemis (and, wordlessly, to Aphrodite, who very much enjoys the sacrifice).

 

Hyacinth is the most beautiful man on earth in the eyes of his lover, and Apollo is the most beautiful god on Olympus in the eyes of his.

 

~~º0º~~

 

They often play games together; racing each other across fields, competing in javelin throwing and shot put and discus. (This is where our story comes to a head.)

 

It is a bright summer’s day, the grass green and soft, the trees sighing softly as they watch the two men where they stand in the centre of a clearing. Hyacinth has a discus with him, and he throws it, watches it land.

 

“Good throw,” Apollo says, walking over to where it landed. Hyacinth laughs, because he knows he may be a good throw for a mortal, but his lover is a _god_ and he will never beat him.

 

“You could do better,” he says, and Apollo shrugs, picks the discus up from the ground and walks to the unofficial starting line. Hyacinth steps back, towards where Apollo had been standing watching him, and Zephyrus (who had been watching the whole time) sees his chance. Apollo releases the discus, and Zephyrus calls on the wind, changes its course, and lets the god of the sun watch on in horror as the heavy metal disc collides with his lover’s chest.

 

“No, no, no,” he mutters, (and he will be the god of healing as well but he has not yet claimed that title from Hermes - that is a tale for another time) rushing to the fallen Hyacinth, dropping to his knees beside the prone body, “you can’t leave me, please don’t leave me.”

 

He is too late, and he knows it - he will not be able to save this one.

 

(He has been unable to save any of his lovers.)

 

When Hades’ begins to tug, Apollo pulls back, using his power (far, far more power than necessary) to keep Hyacinth with him. In a last-ditch effort - he will not lose this one, he _cannot_ lose this one - he turns him into a flower, preserves him amongst the earth for all eternity.

 

Then he sobs, because his lover died by his hand. This, like so many other deaths (all of them lovers, all of them cared for) is his fault, and he thinks that this, perhaps, will be the last.

 

(Aphrodite saw everything, and she is facing Zephyrus as Apollo cries, and as Artemis arrives and realises what happened. She is not to be trifled with, especially in the matters of a love that has her blessing - there is a reason she has her title, and a reason she should be feared, but none really talk about that side of the goddess of love.)

 

“Oh, brother,” Artemis sighs, sitting next to him by the flower. It is gorgeous, just like the youth it had once been - purple and white, elegant, arching petals - and she sighs, inhaling its scent.

 

“I killed him,” Apollo says, and she sighs again, rests her arm over his shoulders. He leans into her, and they sit in front of the Hyacinth flower for what seems like forever. Finally, Aphrodite appears (with ichor in her hair, but they don’t mention that and she won’t talk about that). She leans against Apollo’s other side, runs her hand through his hair.

 

“Did you curse me?” he asks, and she shakes her head mutely.

 

“I blessed this union,” she tells him.

 

“Then why did I kill him?”

 

“You didn’t,” she says, “Zephyrus did. He was jealous, Apollo, please don’t blame yourself.” He looks up at that, still confused, with tears clinging to his eyelashes. Artemis claps him on the back, stands, pulls him up with her. Aphrodite rises with them, touches a finger to Artemis’ hand (and gets a soft glare in return, although it holds no malice) before vanishing and leaving the siblings to themselves.

 

They stand, together, hands clasped, and they vanish in a brilliant silver and gold light, leaving a beautiful purple flower in their wake.

 

(They go to see Zephyrus, find him bleeding on his throne room floor. They do not help him.)

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr [@faeflowerfeline](https://faeflowerfeline.tumblr.com/)


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